Journey
by Totally Renegade
Summary: She knew when he crashed through her roof that it was the start of something big. ZackxAerith, one shot wonder.


**Hello there everyone! Okay, so I'm nuts for this couple. Zack and Aerith are so darned perfect for each other that I can't help it. This was inspired by a very well done video on Youtube to the song "At the Beginning" from the **_**Anastasia**_** soundtrack. I think it suits them perfectly. So, read on and enjoy! -Wolf **

&

She knew the moment he crashed through her roof that it was the start of something big. He was flirtatious, and charming, but sincere and endearingly silly on that first date. She hadn't known he was a SOLDIER. She valued normality and that was what SOLDIERs weren't. SOLDIERs scared her, and when she admitted as much, he seemed disappointed, even a little hurt by the knowledge.

_"Actually, I'm with SOLDIER." _

_"I'm sorry!" _

Oddly enough, she wasn't scared of him. He had startled her when he fell through her roof, but he himself did not scare her. He reminded her of a hero, something her mother had read to her from a book of fairy tales. There was air about him that was both comforting and overwhelming, an energy that spread out and touched other people deeply. She said it was the eyes, but it was so much more.

_"Pretty!" _

_"The face?" _

_"The eyes!"_

She couldn't exactly tell then by looking at him, but the Ancient in her knew he was destined for bigger things. Things bigger than both of them and in those moments, she felt that touch of destiny extend to her. Together they were starting out on a journey, though they didn't realize it at the time.

For two years their relationship grew. She was there for him in his darkest hour and he did his best to be there for her when she needed him. Then he accepted that fateful mission to Nibelheim.

_"Work stuff?" _

_"Sadly." _

_"Here. I have twenty three tiny wishes but you probably won't remember them all. So I put them all into one. I'd like to spend more time with you."_

Five years came and went. She missed him so much. She wrote him eighty nine letters and not one was ever returned. A normal girl would have been hurt and angry, but Aerith would admit that though she craved normality, she was not normal. The Voice of the Planet whispered to her and responded to her touch. She was sad because deep down, in the part of her that was not normal at all, she felt him leave. It was the end of his journey, or so she thought.

_It felt like a normal day, but she was restless. Even tending her flowers wasn't taking the edge off. Sunlight filtered through the hole in the roof, the one she'd never had the heart to fix, especially after he left. Then it happened. It rained. _

Perhaps because Zack was not there she thought maybe her life would be normal, but she accepted that it probably wasn't true. They had started out together and now she had to continue on the path her feet were planted on. Life was anything but normal in Midgar, with AVALANCHE stirring up trouble and Shin Ra cracking down. The conflict that had existed for decades was coming to a climax and for better or worse, she would be part of it.

_"The roof and the flower bed must have broken your fall. You're lucky." _

_"Flower bed...is this yours? Sorry about that."_

He couldn't be with her right then, but it seemed he sent someone to help her out. She'd never forget that vain flare of hope that when she heard Cloud crash through her roof onto her flowers that it might have been Zack, restored to her after so long. In some ways Cloud acted so much like Zack that it hurt, but in other ways he was completely different. She even seemed to remember Zack mentioning a recruit named Cloud at some point...but Cloud denied ever knowing him.

She joined AVALANCHE's cause and set out on her journey officially. She couldn't really say it was because of any burning desire to be a hero or even the off chance she'd find Zack, but like she did when she met him, she felt fate pulling her onwards. She was meant to do this.

_"Cloud!" _

_"What are you doing!" _

Kneeling at the alter she prayed, blocking out all things and concentrating on the duty entrusted to her by her mother. Instead of blonde hair, she saw black and he was smiling. The sharp pain and burning sensation instead of making the vision dissipate made it clearer, only he wasn't smiling anymore. He looked sad and stayed in place as Cloud moved to catch her falling body. Reunited at last.

Once again, as her body sank towards the bottom of the Great Lake and her spirit was drawn to the Life Stream and Zack, she thought maybe her journey was over. However, when she reached the fields of white oblivion and Zack's arms, she knew their work was not yet done. Her spell was blocked...if Holy was not activated soon it would not be enough to stop Meteor.

_"Lend me your power everyone!" _

It was over. At least, Meteor was. Midgar was destroyed, it's Mako Reactors crushed under the weight of Meteor and the power of Holy. She was back in Zack's arms, together with him in the Promised Land, but still something was not right. Sephiroth, while dead, was not gone and what he did now was possibly more dangerous than Meteor. Geostigma...it was then she realized it was frustrating being dead. Zack was restless too, worrying for Cloud's self-imposed isolation. But try as they might, the only one who could help Cloud was Cloud. They could guide and protect, but this fight was solely his.

_"Mother?" _

_"Again? Why is everybody calling me their mother lately?" _

_"I guess they must be fond of you." _

_"This one's a little too big to adopt." _

_"Tough luck, friend. Sounds like, you don't have a place here." _

Together they watched as Cloud was given a hero's welcome. Briefly, she knelt and traded a few words with two children that were sitting away from the crowd, encouraging them to join in the fun when Cloud looked up. He saw them both, a look of wonder on his face. She smiled at him.

_"See? Everything's all right." _

Zack waved goodbye as she walked back to him and together they stepped back into the light. This time, the end felt real. But, with every end came a beginning. And she could feel that too.

"So what's next?" Zack asked, threading his feet carefully between the flowers of her field. After the first time he was careful to never jeopardize them again, even in the Promised Land.

"No idea. But you know something?"

"What?"

"I'm glad I'm at the beginning with you."

He smiled that bright, mega-watt smile that put even the brightness of the Promised Land to shame. "Me too."

&

**Quick note: I used one line from **_**Maiden Who Travels the Planet**_**, but only because that was the best way to phrase it and the force blocking Holy is mentioned in the original game. Otherwise, I don't consider that cannon, especially taking into account that fact her consciousness dissipates at the end, when she appears frequently throughout Advent Children and the whole "I love Cloud more than Zack" thing. Also, a lot of this is based heavily on my interpretation of the Promised Land. I believe it is something separate from the Life Stream, Heaven to be exact. It's not that big a thing, so don't worry about it. Anyways, thanks for reading and remember to review! -HW **


End file.
